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Canadian Warship Begins Counterterrorism, WMD Interdiction Mission

A Canadian warship on Sunday departed from Halifax to begin a half-year rotation under a NATO mission that seeks to prevent extremist organizations from using the Mediterranean Sea to transport weapons of mass destruction and related materials, the Canadian Press reported (see GSN, Dec. 14, 2011).

NATO’s maritime counterterrorism program in the Mediterranean, Operation Active Endeavor, is a response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States and has been running for more than a decade.

The frigate HMCS Charlottetown, carrying roughly 250 crew members, will "be patrolling the Mediterranean looking for weapons of mass destruction or constituents that could be used to design such things," Commander Wade Carter said.

While he does not expect the ship will be confronted with major dangers, Carter said its personnel have been trained to deal with an emergency.

"We are ready to deploy on behalf of the government of Canada if they direct us to proceed to any type of mission, but I have no specific mission at this time related to any nation," he said (Aly Thomson, Canadian Press/Globe and Mail, Jan. 8).

January 10, 2012

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A Canadian warship on Sunday departed from Halifax to begin a half-year rotation under a NATO mission that seeks to prevent extremist organizations from using the Mediterranean Sea to transport weapons of mass destruction and related materials, the Canadian Press reported.